Frances Tiafoe was looking really solid for a while against Taylor Fritz in the 2024 US Open semi-final, but towards the end, he couldn't quite manage to stay calm enough and win the match.
Tiafoe found a really solid level at the Cincinnati Open ahead of the US Open. He made it to the final at the ATP Masters 1000 event, battling Jannik Sinner but ultimately losing in two sets.
The experience boosted Tiafoe's confidence as he showed himself that he could play well again. It hasn’t been the best year overall for him, so he needed a run like that, and it came at the perfect time ahead of the US Open.
He maintained the high level in New York, beating some solid players to find himself in another semi-final. He had been in that round before, in 2022, when he lost to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
This time around, he faced compatriot Fritz, and he won the opening set. Fritz played a flawless second set to make it 1-all, but Tiafoe won the third set. He was just one set away but, unfortunately for him, couldn't win the match as his body started to tense up.
He experienced cramping in the fourth set, which hampered him a little, and after Fritz won that set, Tiafoe completely 'shut down' in the final set, losing it 1-6. After the match, Tiafoe admitted that it was a difficult loss, because he felt like he was the better player out there.
Unfortunately, his body shut down at the worst possible moment, preventing him from truly playing how he wanted. If that hadn't happened, Tiafoe is certain that he could have won the match, and considering that he was up 2-1 when he experienced the issues, it's possible that he was right.
"It's tough. It's really really tough. Really really tough. This one's gonna hurt really bad. I mean I thought I was the better player for sure tonight. But in the fourth [set], I had some in and out cramps. I felt like my body kinda just shut down on me. Probably had a lot to do with nerves."
The American was asked to elaborate on what happened in the final two sets, and he compared it to what happened to Carlos Alcaraz against Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros. The Spaniard started to cramp, and it snowballed from there.
That's why Tiafoe was so compelled to believe that the issue was more mental than physical because he's shown himself to be a proper gladiator at this year's US Open.
"Kind of just went down, just kind of like a similar thing with [Carlos] Alcaraz and Novak [Djokovic] that year the French [Open 2023]. It kinda seems like the same thing. Couldn't really move."
It’s the second time Tiafoe was one set away from the US Open final, and it might take a while for him to get over it, but it's still a great result.
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